Prior to Josh McDaniels being hired as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, tight end Darren Waller had a three-year stretch of being one of the best players on the team. He had 3,006 receiving yards combined from 2019 to 2021 and set the team’s franchise record for catches with 107 in 2020.
In Waller’s one season with McDaniels, he saw a sharp decline in production. He played just nine games and caught 28 passes for 388 yards. This led to the team trading him away to the New York Giants last offseason. Waller had a chance to give his thoughts on McDaniels and acknowledged that he has a strong football mind.
“Yeah … Josh McDaniels knows ball,” Waller told Vic Tafur of The Athletic in an April 9 interview. “That hasn’t been his problem. He taught me a lot, like on return routes, having the toe perpendicular to the line of scrimmage. Plus, the depth and the detail on routes — that culture that he came from in New England is very detailed, and I took a lot from the passing game that they were installing.”
This echoes what other current and former Raiders players have said about McDaniels. He clearly has a strong grasp of the game of football but simply couldn’t figure out how to have success with the other aspects of being a head coach.
Darren Waller Laments Josh McDaniels Getting Fired
There was some obvious turbulence between Darren Waller and Josh McDaniels’ staff. Waller’s injury issues were a source of frustration and the tight end didn’t appreciate the coach letting his wedding date slip to the media.
Despite the rocky relationship, Waller feels bad for how things ended with McDaniels.
“Nothing is ever as bad as it seems,” Waller said. “I saw good things in Josh McDaniels and you hate to see people not succeed in that way.”
The coach was fired before finishing his second season with the Raiders and didn’t land another job this offseason. It’s hard to imagine McDaniels will get another head coaching job in the near future.
Darren Waller Considering Retirement
Darren Waller for 75 yards 🏃💨pic.twitter.com/S14bU27Llq
— Raiders on NBCS (@NBCSRaiders) December 29, 2019
Darren Waller’s stretch as one of the best tight ends in the NFL was brief. He’s been dealing with nagging injuries for three straight seasons now. This has led to him contemplating retirement this offseason.
While retirement is still an option for Waller, he’s still taking his time and hasn’t made a final decision yet.
“I have to make a decision at some point,” Waller said. “You have to be 100 percent bought in, for the grind. And I have to make sure I am bringing that to the table, or it’s a disservice to the guys I am suiting up with. I also want to give the team time, where whichever way I go, they can prepare for next season. So … it’s a little bit of a difficult decision, but here we are.”
Waller is only 31 and should have a couple of years left as a productive player if he can stay healthy. However, the injuries have been frustrating for him and it’s possible that he won’t be able to get healthy enough to play football again.
